Super Eagles: Ahmed Musa’s World Cup record no African star can break in 2026

Ahmed Musa and the Super Eagles will not be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Nigeria failed to qualify for the tournament, Afrik-Foot reports.

However, the former Leicester City and Al Nassr forward will have no worries watching a tournament where there are no candidates capable of matching one of his historic feats.

As Africa prepares to send 10 nations to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, one remarkable record belonging to former Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa will remain untouched regardless of what happens during the tournament.

Several African stars will have the chance to create history in North America, but none can surpass one of Musa’s greatest World Cup achievements. The Nigerian great remains the only African player to score a brace in two different FIFA World Cup editions, a feat that will survive the 2026 competition.

Africa has produced only a handful of players who have scored two goals in a single World Cup match, including Roger Milla of Cameroon, Nigeria’s Musa, and Ghana’s Mohammed Kudus.

Milla achieved his braces during Cameroon’s unforgettable run at Italia 90. He scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over Romania during the group stage before netting another brace against Colombia in a dramatic 2-1 Round of 16 win that sent the Indomitable Lions into the quarter-finals.

Musa entered that exclusive club 24 years later at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Facing Argentina in Porto Alegre on June 25, 2014, the Nigerian winger scored twice against a side led by Lionel Messi despite the Super Eagles losing 3-2.

Four years later in Russia, Musa made history. On June 22, 2018, he scored both goals in Nigeria’s crucial 2-0 victory over Iceland in Volgograd. That performance made him the first and still the only African footballer to register World Cup braces in two separate tournaments.

Ghana forward Kudus joined the club when he scored twice against South Korea in a thrilling 3-2 victory during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

However, with Nigeria failing to qualify for the 2026 tournament and Kudus not among the players heading to North America, no African footballer at the competition possesses a previous World Cup brace that could serve as a foundation for matching Musa’s achievement.

The best any African player can do in 2026 is score a first World Cup brace. To equal Musa’s record, they would then need to qualify again and repeat the feat at the 2030 World Cup.

That reality makes Musa’s place in African football history secure for at least another four years.

Young African stars chasing Ahmed Musa’s other World Cup milestone

While Musa’s two-edition brace record is untouchable in 2026, another of his World Cup achievements could come under threat.

When Musa scored twice against Argentina in Brazil in 2014, he was just 21 years and 254 days old. That made him the youngest African player ever to score a World Cup brace.

Kudus came close to breaking the mark in Qatar but fell short. The Ghanaian was 22 years and 118 days old when he struck twice against South Korea, making him the second-youngest African player to achieve the feat.

The expanded 48-team World Cup gives a new generation of African talent an opportunity to challenge Musa’s age record.

Among the strongest candidates is 19-year-old Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande. The RB Leipzig youngster arrives at the tournament after an impressive Bundesliga campaign in which he contributed 12 goals and eight assists. His pace, direct running and eye for goal make him one of Africa’s most exciting prospects.

Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye, still only 18, will also attract attention. The Paris Saint-Germain winger has already earned comparisons with former Senegal captain Sadio Mané and has shown impressive composure during his early senior international appearances.

Algeria’s Ibrahim Maza, aged 20, enters the tournament as one of the most creative young midfielders in African football. After choosing to represent Algeria over Germany, the Bayer Leverkusen playmaker has quickly become a key figure for the Desert Foxes.

Ivory Coast will also look to Christ Inao Oulaï and Bazoumana Touré. Both 20-year-olds have emerged as central figures in a youthful Elephants squad determined to make an impact on the world stage.

South Africa’s Siviwe Magidigidi, another teenager expected to feature prominently, will be keen to help Bafana Bafana mark their return to the World Cup with a memorable campaign.

For any of these players to take Musa’s youngest-brace record, they must score twice in a World Cup match before turning 21 years and eight months old. It is a difficult challenge, but unlike Musa’s record of scoring braces in two separate World Cups, this one remains within reach.

As Africa’s next generation prepares for the biggest stage in football, Ahmed Musa’s name continues to sit prominently in the record books. One of his World Cup milestones may be challenged in 2026, but the most unique of them all will remain exclusively his.